


I Looked Away

by GirlKnownSomewhere



Category: The Monkees (Band), The Monkees (TV)
Genre: 1960s, Arguing, Awkwardness, Band Fic, Cute, Drinking, Extramarital Affairs, F/M, Ficlet, Kissing, One Shot, Romance, Tension, Underage Drinking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-18
Updated: 2020-07-18
Packaged: 2021-03-05 00:08:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,899
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25365127
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GirlKnownSomewhere/pseuds/GirlKnownSomewhere
Summary: Jan tries Mike's homemade beer for the first time during an eventful and rather explosive recording session.
Relationships: Mike Nesmith/Jan Freeman
Kudos: 7





	I Looked Away

**Author's Note:**

> So this is obviously inspired by Mike's many in-studio arguments during the Kirshner era of the Monkees, and I couldn't resist inserting Jan and Ann into one of them, lol. The beer incident in the beginning of the ficlet is also just me feeling like making use of Mike really having his own beer recipe too, heh. Happy reading! 🎵💫
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own any part of the Monkees brand or Jan Freeman's, Lester Sill's or Ann Moses' likenesses.

One-shot: I Looked Away

Hollywood, January 1967

It should have been like any other Saturday night in the middle of Hollywood. Jan should have been having fun on the town that weekend, and she was enjoying the night for the most part. Until she had to rush to the public bathroom with an immediate urge to feel sick. It was a rare instance where Mike offered for her to visit one of the Monkees’ recording sessions. Rather than just grab a few beers like the guys usually did a couple of hours into the later sessions, Mike brought a batch of his own recipe as a treat. The other young men appeared to be a fan of the specialty, though Jan noticed Ann stuck to her soda in the corner. The light brunette didn’t generally like beer, but for whatever reason, she told herself this one would probably taste better made by Mike himself. This quickly turned out to not be the case as she felt her stomach turn and perspiration on her face after only two gulps. Mike must have sensed something was off with her reaction to the drink as he followed her out of the room and into the hall. Rather than head to the ladies’ restroom, he motioned her to enter the closer men’s room. Jan could hear him lock the main door as she tossed open the nearest stall, dropped her body and aimed directly to the toilet. 

After what seemed like a full minute and her retching had softened, Jan heard Mike call out to her. “You alright?”

“Yeah…I think so,” she responded after clearing her throat and leaning back on her knees. She heard him walking and found him beside her by the time she slowly turned her body. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and glanced up at the musician. “I’m sorry,” she meekly apologized. 

“Don’t be,” he insisted coolly while leaning on the doorframe. “Not everyone likes beer.”

“I’ve tried beer, I’ve just…never reacted that strongly to it,” she claimed reluctantly.

He continued to not be too bothered by her physical dislike of his beverage. “You’re fine. Jone isn’t fond of my brew either.”

Jan was currently too humiliated to possibly feel any guilt over him referencing his sister-in-law. “I just feel bad because you personally made it,” she said weakly.

Mike offered a hand to help her off the floor, which she accepted. “It’s probably the yeast.”

She only breathed in defeat as she stood with him rubbing her back supportively a few times before resting his hands on her shoulders. “You want to stay in here a little more or do you think you’re feeling a bit better?”

She ran a hand through her hair and inhaled through her nose before responding. “I think I’m good,” she reassured. 

“We could get some pizza on the way back to your place. You’ll probably be hungry after all that,” he suggested.

“Oh no, it would be way too late by then…” She considered cautiously, more because of how much time they would be spending together than how late they would be eating. 

“Up to you. It’s a night session, so I’m not expected home early all the same,” he pointed out.

“Oh, right…Well, maybe. Thanks,” she concluded with a tiny smile.

He nodded and gave her right shoulder a squeeze before stepping aside for her to use the sink. She washed her hands and rinsed her face with some water before using a couple of paper towels to dry herself. Jan then followed Mike out of the bathroom and discovered the hallway was still empty. As they walked back to the recording room, he casually placed his arm around her upper arm. The motion instantly caused her embarrassment to disappear and her usual infatuation around him to return. Once they made it to the studio door, Mike pulled her closer and kissed her temple. She sighed happily and embraced his middle region. They shared a deep kiss before Mike pulled away after a long moment; making Jan feel disappointment until she opened her eyes and was reminded they were technically in public. He passed her a soft smile before opening the door and entering the studio room. She followed his lead for half of the route until going her own way to the end of the soundboard where she left her bag and the notebook she had been doodling in occasionally. Mike carried on into the middle of the room where Peter was when Jan noticed Colgems label exec Lester Sill had joined the recording while they were out. She recognized him peripherally, but this was the first time she was seeing him up close as she took a seat. 

“Mike, you want to maybe explain to us why you signed on to provide harmony for Davy’s next lead, yet failed to show up?” Lester asked.

“Not particularly,” the songwriter/producer drolly replied as he picked up his lede sheet from earlier without looking at the studio head.

“I know you hate being reminded this, but you are literally only a contract player—at both the network and the label,” he continued while following Mike around the room. “Getting four tracks on the past two records was a favor, not a promotion.”

“Well, consider me skipping the session another favor because the song’s crap,” he retorted bluntly.

“Yeah, well, the last two songs Neil gave us shot to the top of the charts. So I think we’ll stick to that ‘crap’ for a while,” Lester countered.

Jan could sense tension building between the two men and subtly glanced at Ann to see if she noticed it too. The reporter appeared interested, but only moderately. Jan then considered the other girl might be used to the celebs she covered having disagreements in front of her. On the TV extra’s end she was secretly intrigued, but also wary.

“Count me out then. I’ve got other projects to focus on anyways,” Mike claimed.

The older man laughed. “Such as? You’re the only person I know who has a deal as nice as this show and isn’t happy.”

“I don’t like being lied to, which is exactly what you and Donnie did by telling me and Peter we’d be making our own music when we signed on to the series,” Mike shot back as he grabbed a set of headphones off a mic stand.

“I didn’t personally tell you that,” Lester huffed. “I figured you just wanted to have some lead vocals on tracks.”

The guitarist snorted. “Please.”

“Mike, I get it, you’re a perfectionist. That’ll work to your advantage later in your career. But right now you really shouldn’t be complaining.” He stopped walking at the soundboard entrance, while Mike continued inside. Jan started feeling a little awkward she was now physically in between them.

“I’m doing this in the group’s best interest,” the younger man claimed. “You might be happy to make profit off those singles but we’re the ones getting laughed at.”

“They’re not laughing at you, they’re laughing at your show because it’s funny and amusing and everything else a good situation-comedy should be,” Lester argued now clearly frustrated.

“I’m not talking about the series, I’m talking about the headlines and hit pieces cracking about our public image,” Mike clarified while tossing the headphones on the board. “And the way we’re singled out for featuring sessions players on every track, even though everyone else in this damn business has done the exact same thing at one point. But neither you or Don or Ward or anyone else working at Colgems has to know how that feels because you get to enjoy all the perks without any of the criticism. You can just continue giving us mediocre pop tunes—DON’T think about it, Ann.”

The random outburst in the middle of his diatribe shook Jan out of her fixated state and turned to find Ann paused while uncapping her pen. She heard the reporter faintly utter “damn it,” while dropping the pen on top of her notebook in irritation.

“I know you’re frustrated,” Lester agreed at first. “But this is a business model that has been working very well for many years now and it’s not going to change overnight just because you like running your mouth off. No one else has a problem with it.”

Mike ran a hand over his face as he took a deep breath. “Peter backs my opinion,” he informed as a last resort.

The occasional bassist perked up as he was acknowledged during the discussion. “Oh, yeah, totally. Mike’s right, artistic expression is—”

“That’s great, but it doesn’t change the fact that at the end of the day you four were hired as actors first, music artists second,” Lester interrupted to still argue with Mike.

The musician clearly didn’t agree, but chose to stew with a hand on his hip rather than let the debate carry on.

“Look, you guys have a good thing going. You don’t need to fuck it up over semantics,” the label executive pushed with the intention of officially ending the conversation. Jan’s eyes widened slightly at both the F-bomb and the fact that she was an eyewitness to such a big fight. “Your tracks are pretty good, I’ll admit. Maybe even better if you’d consider leaning towards more pop than the whole country schtick in the future.” Lester then glimpsed around as if he just realized Jan and Ann were in the room. “Wouldn’t hurt to keep the groupies on the road either—”

“Jan’s fine. She’s not bothering anyone,” Mike speedily cut off while straightening his stature.

“Yeah, but is she actually contributing anything to the recordings?” Lester asked unconvinced.

Jan’s heart skipped a beat and she suddenly wished she could disappear from the room as the man behind her partially assumed correctly her association with the band.

“Um, hi, yeah,” Ann’s voice suddenly cut through. “I just need to note, I don’t sleep with colleagues. I’m obligated to be here for my job…” 

The other young woman chose to keep quiet, not able to use a disclaimer like that for herself, and sunk deeper into her seat. She glanced to the side to find Peter making his way away from the piano to the same corner as the rest of the group currently.

“Yeah, Les. We’re trying to work here. Isn’t that what Colgems wants from clients?” Mike challenged with a sardonic bite.

Lester released a sound that was something between a huff and a chuckle. “Right…Just knock it off with the disappearing act,” was what he decided to end the brief studio visit with before turning around. While walking out of the room, he spotted the few cups of beer near the drum set and turned back to add: “By the way, your brew could use less malt.”

Mike rolled his eyes while Lester exited at the same time Davy appeared back in the room. Jan let out a big breath, relieved the conversation had finally ended and they could enjoy the atmosphere again. That was until she bumped into Ann near the end of the session.

“I would love to know your secret to getting through to him,” the reporter exasperated regarding Mike while placing her messenger bag over her shoulder with Jan failing to hold back a blush.


End file.
